Page 11 - aruba-today-20190302

A11
WORLD NEWS Saturday 2 March 2019

Undeterred by summit collapse, Moon vows closer North ties

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Pyongyang, which would
— South Korean President give Moon more room to
Moon Jae-in said Friday his push his ambitious ideas on
government plans to dis- inter-Korean engagement.
cuss with the United States Aside of restarting the
the possibility of restarting Kaesong factory park and
joint inter-Korean econom- South Korean tours to Dia-
ic projects to induce nucle- mond Mountain, the Kore-
ar disarmament from North as also aspire to reconnect
Korea. their railways and roads.
Moon's comments dur- Moon has desperately tried
ing a nationally televised to maintain an impression
speech came a day af- that things are headed to-
ter a high-stakes nuclear ward the North's denucle-
summit between President arization, trying to keep
Donald Trump and North hard-liners in Washington
Korean leader Kim Jong at bay and a positive at-
Un collapsed over what mosphere of dialogue
the Americans saw as ex- alive. That could become
cessive North Korean de- much harder to do if the
mands for sanctions relief in United States and North
exchange for limited disar- South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the 100th an- Korea struggle to put their
mament steps. niversary of the March First Independence Movement Day, the anniversary of the 1919 uprising negotiations back on track
North Korea insisted it had against Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 1, 2019. and amid growing doubts
asked only for partial sanc- Associated Press on whether Kim would ever
tions relief in exchange voluntarily deal away an
for shutting down its main could potentially face a se- crippled economy, which and North Korea still made arsenal he may see as his
nuclear complex. For- rious dilemma over whether he said would be possible "meaningful progress" in strongest guarantee of sur-
eign Minister Ri Yong Ho to continue to engage with with progress in the North's Hanoi as conversations be- vival.
also said Washington had the North or join another denuclearization. tween Trump and Kim Jong While Moon focuses pre-
wasted an opportunity that U.S.-led pressure campaign "We will closely communi- Un would have "enhanced dominantly on North Ko-
"may not come again" and against it. cate and cooperate with mutual understanding and rea issues, critics say huge
the North's position won't In a speech in Seoul com- the United States and North built more trust." problems are being mis-
change even if the United memorating the anniversa- Korea so as to help their U.S. Secretary of State Mike handled at home, includ-
States offers to resume talks. ry of a 1919 Korean uprising talks reach a complete Pompeo said in Manila, Phil- ing a decaying job market,
The breakdown is a set- against Japanese colonial settlement by any means ippines, on Friday that the falling birth rates and deep
back for Moon, whose de- rule, Moon made a nation- possible," he said. "Progress North Koreans demanded age, gender and political
sire for closer relations be- alistic call for inter-Korean in inter-Korean relations will "full" sanctions relief in talks divides. Hwang Kyo-ahn,
tween the Koreas hinges cooperation, which he lead to the normalization of in Hanoi, contradicting Ri, former South Korean prime
on a nuclear breakthrough says would drive progress North Korea's relations with who said the North asked minister and leader of the
between the United States in negotiations between the United States and Ja- only for partial relief. conservative Liberty Ko-
and North Korea. While the United States and North pan, expanding into a new "These are global demands rean Party, criticized Moon
Moon has prioritized sta- Korea. order of peace and secu- for the denuclearization of for overselling a "rosy fanta-
bilizing relations with the Moon said he would "con- rity in Northeast Asia." North Korea and we are sy" on the North's denucle-
North amid the larger nu- sult" with the United States While Moon had been ex- anxious to get back to the arization and that people's
clear negotiations, his dov- on resuming operations pected to make ambitious table so we can continue hopes are now turning into
ish approach has caused at an inter-Korean factory new proposals for engage- the conversation that will uneasiness.
disagreements with Wash- park in the North Korean ment with the North while ultimately lead to peace "South Korea loses the
ington, which sees eco- border town of Kaesong marking the centennial of and stability and a better most from the Hanoi sum-
nomic pressure as its main and restarting South Ko- an admired historical event, life for the North Korean mit ending without agree-
leverage with Pyongyang. rean tours to the North's his speech ended without people and a lower threat, ment," said Alison Evans,
"I vow to help usher in an scenic Diamond Moun- major announcements or a denuclearized North Ko- an analyst from IHS Markit.
era of a peace-driven tain resort. It's impossible fresh plans on inter-Korean rea," Pompeo told report- "Without progress on North
economy on the Korean for Seoul to resume the economic activities. Moon ers. Korea, Moon's domestic
Peninsula," said Moon, who projects under the current spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom There had been hopes agenda becomes his only
preaches that South Korea U.S.-led sanctions against did not give a definite an- in Seoul that Trump and metric of success for vot-
should be in the "driver's the North. Moon also pro- swer when asked whether Kim would reach a deal ers, who have already
seat" in international efforts posed the creation of a the breakdown of the Ha- that meaningfully reduc- criticized his administra-
to deal with the North. joint economic committee noi summit forced Moon to es North Korea's nuclear tion for failing to deliver on
However, if the nuclear between the Koreas aimed modify his proposals. weapons capability and economic metrics such as
negotiations derail, Moon at developing the North's Moon said the United States softens sanctions against unemployment."q